THE PUEBLO DWELLERS 59 
guide. As they went toward the north they continually 
heard of the great and rich cities; but great and rich 
and cities meant one thing to Europeans acquainted 
with Mexico and Peru and another thing to the natives. 
When they reached Vacapa, in central Sonora, 
Estevan was told to go in advance and discover the best 
route. He was ordered to send back word of what he 
might find and not to proceed more than fifty or sixty 
leagues. Estevan sent back messengers but hurried 
on himself and after some days of delay the friar fol- 
lowed. A month later when he had reached the 
mountainous country one of the men who had been with 
the negro met him and told him that they had reached the 
sought seven cities but that the natives had killed 
Estevan. Friar Marcos went on until he could see 
in the distance one of the villages of the Zuni Indians 
and was then forced to return by his unwilling followers. 
Coronado. The report which he brought back was ’ 
sufficiently glowing to bring about an expedition the 
next year by Francisco Vazquez Coronado, who had 
been the governor of New Galicia. Hernando de 
Alvarado was his chief lieutenant. The advance guard 
arrived at Cibola, supposed with good reasons to be 
the former villages of the Zuni, on July 7, 1540. After 
some fighting, during which Coronado was wounded, 
the Indians took refuge on Thunder Mountain, leaving 
their villages to the Spaniards. Hearing a report of 
seven other cities to the northwest, Don Pedro de Tovar 
was sent to investigate. He visited the Hopi villages 
known to the Spaniards as Tusayan and returned, 
bringing an account of the villages and a report of a 
great river with an uncrossable canyon to the west. 
Alvarado, the second in command, was sent with a 
few men to explore toward the east. He passed the 
village of Acoma, perched on its high mesa, and arrived 
